92 Clubs – Day 33 – Shrewsbury, Southampton, Southend
The easiest way to get to Shrewsbury is to go via Crewe and that is what I did.
Outside Shrewsbury's Greenhous Meadow Stadium
Coming back was a bit of a problem, as I had to wait an hour for my connection to Crewe. Normally, the frequency is two trains an hour, but at some times, there is only one. It was rather disappointing to have to spend an hour on the station, as I only missed the previous train by a minute or so.
The journey back to London wasn’t too bad, but my train to Southampton from Waterloo was a few minutes late due to traction problems becaise of the bad weather.
Outside Southampton's St. Mary's Stadium
You can see the rain outside the Southampton Megastore at St. Mary’s stadium in this picture.
The train back to London was almost an hour late and it was a rush to Liverpool Street to get the train to Prittlewell for Southend.
The Gates at Roots Hall
The picture shows the gates at Roots Hall.
of the three stadia today, only Southend was walkable, although I have walked Southampton in the past, but not in rain like we had on this day.
92 Clubs – Day 32 – A Day Off
Day 31 was rather tiring, so I needed it.
92 Clubs – Day 31 – Rochdale, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday
This was an ambitious day, but I managed it.
I took the 06:17 from Euston to Manchester and then took the tram to Victoria for a train to Rochdale. It was then a taxi to see Rochdale ‘s ground which is shared with Rochdale Hornets, as the picture shows.
Rochdale's Spotland Stadium
To get to Sheffield for Rotherham, who play at the Don Valley Stadium in that city, it was back to Victoria and then another tram back to Piccadilly for a train across to Sheffield.
Don Valley Stadium
The stadium is one of the more unusual football grounds in the country, and the only one with a still-used athletics track. It also has very good access from the Sheffield Supertram.
From there is was on to Scunthorpe on one of the awful Pacer trains, to view the worst stadium, Glanford Park, where I’ve watched a Championship match.
Outside Glanford Park
The picture of course doesn’t show the fact that it is one of the worst stadia to get to from the train station. At least I had a good taxi driver, who got me there and back efficiently.
I went back to Sheffield via Meadowhall on one of the Trans Pennine Expresses. I bougth the last gluten-free sandwich at Marks and Spencer there, before taking the tram to Granville Road for Sheffield United.
Bramall Lane
It was dark by now, as the photograph shows. After this it was another tram to Hillsborough for Sheffield Wednesday.
Hillsborough in the Dark
I actually went to the stop at Leppings Lane. In the end I was back at Sheffield station, with lots of time for my train to St. Pancras.
92 Clubs – Day 30 – A Day Off
I took the day off, as I have a bust day planned for Day 31.
92 Clubs – Day 29 – QPR, Reading
I did these two clubs in the morning before going to see Ipswich at Millwall.
I started early and got to QPR using the Central line.
Loftus Road Stadium
As you can see it was rather quiet and I took a couple of photos and left.
It was rather a convoluted route to Paddington via Oxford Circus, due to engineering works, but I arrived at Reading station around eleven. I didn’t have time to try out the bus to the Reading‘s Madejski Stadium, so it was another taxi trip. But at least they’ve now got one in place, as otherwise it’s walk of over two miles.
Reading's Madejski Stadium
I was in the 11:28 train back into London. After klunch in Canary Wharf, I just about made the match at Millwall.
Was all the rushing about to get there worth it?
Probably not as Ipswich lost heavily. but I did cross two more off the list.
92 Clubs – Week 4 – 11 Clubs – 18 Trains
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7
Day 22 Day 23 Day 24 Day 25 Day 26 Day 27 Day 28
This was a rather poor performance on my part, but it had got off to rather a bad start on Day 22 and I did take three days off.
Here are the awards.
Heroes of the Week
These have to be Peter, who at 84, guided me across Manchester to Oldham and the unknown driver of the 14:06 out of Paddington to Penzance, that I took to Plymouth.
Most Surprising Stadium of the Week
It has to be Port Vale, as it shows how a small club can create a stadium of whom any supporter can be proud.
Best Stadium of the Week
I’d give this to Port Vale as well, if it wasn’t so difficult to get to. I might give it to Norwich, but then I can’t, can I? Both the Nottingham clubs have good stadia, which are easy to get to, but the others with the exception of Peterborough, are public transport nightmares. So I think I’ll leave the award! in a few years time or on a match day, it will probably go to Port Vale.
Best Signposted Stadium of the Week
Portsmouth virtually has its own station at Fratton and even has separate signs to the ground for Home and Away Supporters, so it wins by a country mile.
Worst Signposted Stadium of the Week
Peterborough virtually lacks signposting and as it is fairly close to the station, some signs would help. But as I said on Day 27, the stadium is very much a work-in-progress, so perhaps it will be very much better in a few years time. I think I’ll give it to Northampton, as with a bit of thought, they could probably make a nice walking route to the ground.
Dump of the Week
After a couple of near misses Manchester finally gets the rewa4rd it deserves. It is a city with bad maps, no information and a completely indecipherable bus system. Perhaps some of the billions, they are spending on the new trams could be used to make sure the buses work or that the maps are correct.
Sign of the Week
It just has to be the one at Port Vale.
Best Train of the Week
The High Speed Train to Plymouth, where I sat on on the floor.
Worst Train of the Week
The two trains to Oxford, where there was no tables in the back of the seats in front. How can I do my Sudoku?
Worst Bus of the Week
The one I took from Boundary Park to Oldham Bus Station. If you were in a wheelchair or had a baby in a buggy, you ewouldn’t have been able to use it.
This was rather a dissappointing week, in that I could have done much more. I could make the excuse of my hay fever! So I will!
92 Clubs – Day 28 – Portsmouth, Port Vale, Preston
This was an easy day, in that I took a train to Fratton after 09:30 from Waterloo to Fratton to get to Portsmouth.
Portsmouth's Fratton Park Stadium
I was back into London ion the 11:28 and was able to catch the 13:20 out of Euston to Stoke-on-Trent for Port Vale.
Vale Park is not easy to get to from the station and although the 21 bus supposedly does most of the trip, this does mean a confusing change or stopover in Hanley. So I took a taxi to the ground from there.
Inside Vale Park
The staff were very welcoming and one of them took the picture.
I tried to get the bus back to the station from Vale Park and asctually found the stop,but no bus of any sort appeared for some time. A local told me they were often like that and caused him great distress. In the end it was a 21 that appeared, but as I needed to get on I jumped ship at Hanley and got a taxi to the station, where I caught another Virgin Pendolino to Manchester Piccadilly. By now, I know the station like one of the rats, who I suspect live between the tracks, sao it was a run to catch the train to Preston. As it was a Trans Pennine Express, it was very crowded.
I’d been to Deepdale once before in the 1960s to see Spurs play, whilst I was at University and can remember walking a long way to the staidum then. So this time it was a taxi in the dark to Preston‘s ground.
Deepdale in the Dark
I got back to the station about 18:00 and as I had an Off Peak Single to Euston, it was a situation, where I just took pot luck. I had a choice of taking the Glasgow train for Euston, which was rather full or waiting fifty minutes to get on an almost empty train starting from Preston. One of the Virgin train staff advised taking the latter, but I knew that the Glasgow train would have to unload a few passengers at Wigan and Warrington, so I took the chance. By Warrington, I had a backward facing corner seat with a window view all the way to Euston. They really are the most comfortable seats on a Pendolino, where I always prefer to travel with my back to the driver.
92 Clubs – Day 27 – Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth
If I’d chosen different trains to go to Oxford, this day could have been subtitled a day of six HSTs or Inter City 125s, but time was tight, if I was to get back to London at a reasonable hour.
Oxford, must surely be one of the most difficult stadia to get to from the town centre, even if you have a car. And if you do, you have to actually drive along the by-pass where there are queues of traffic. Of all the taxis I have taken to get to and from grounds, Oxford was by far the most expesive.
Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium
Oxford‘s stadium is just a rather anonymous pile stuck by the Science Park. I will not be sad, if I never ever go there again. It should be said, that Oxford is not noted for its wonderful traffic systems, as every time I go, it always seems to be totally gridlocked. A couple of years ago, I went there to play real tennis and walked to the court from the station. It would appear that or a bicycle is the only sane way to get about. If ever a city needed a second or parkway station it is Oxford.
Peterborough was a very different kettle of fish and it was just a short run in a High Speed Train to the city and then about 15 minutes walk.
Peterborough’s London Road Stadium
I should say that the walk could be made easier, but I suspect that as the ground is still not finished, that this will come later.
I was soon back on another HST to Kings Cross and then it was on the Circle Line to Paddington for Plymouth.
Sitting in Style on a First Great Western HST
I had been unable to get a seat online, so I just bought an Off Peak Return and made the best of what was available, as the picture shows.
I should say that it wasn’t that uncomfortable and I got a seat from Taunton, when the train started to clear. I wouldn’t like to sit like that in a Pendolino, as they certainly don’t ride like forty-year old HSTs.
It did look like it was all going to go pear-shaped, as the train had been delayed at Paddington for about fifteen minutes by a fault and this meant it had got stuck behind a stopping train along the Devon Coast. We were nearly thirty minutes late at Totnes and it was starting to look like I’d miss the 18:00 back to London. But then driver got a clear line and let the HST go, so much so that it was only twenty minutes late at Plymouth, giving me just ten minutes to get to the stadium and back.
Outside Home Park
As you can see I made it.
I did get a seat all the way back, but the train was late due to someone falling under a train at Reading West station.
But if the day did prove one thing, it was that the stopgap Intercity 125 is a superb train. But then I know that, having been through the Highlands at 90 mph.
There are plans to make sure these trains continue for a few years yet. Who’s to say that in the 2060s, they won’t be a tourist attraction in their own right, as they speed passengers to the West Country. Probably to the consternation of politicians, who can find all sorts of reasons to not use a what would be then be a nearly ninety year old train. After all, I doubt that electrifying this line to Plymouth will ever be done.
92 Clubs – Day 26 – Norwich, Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Oldham
It was back on the road on Wednesday. I was actually a five club day, as I passed Ipswich on the way to Norwich and took this picture from the train.
Portman Road From The Train
Not the best, but when I had a very good view, National Express East Anglia decided to put another train in the way. It was only a quick trip to the ground as I wanted to get on my way to Nottingham.
Outside Carrow Road
The Norwich fan, who took the picture wasn’t happy and I think it shows in the quality.
There is a direct train link from Norwich to Nottingham and I was in the city with three major grounds before midday.
Signpost to Forest and County
The picture shows the signage to the grounds. This sign actually solved the problem of whether to to County or Forest first. So it was Forest.
It is not a safe walk to the grounds, as you walk up a main road, with no pedestrian lights where you cross side roads. I couldn’t even hitch a life on a bu, as there were no stops until I got to Trent Bridge and all the buses seem to go another way.
Outside Nottingham Forest
But I made it. The Nottingham Forest must have one of only a couple of grounds on a major river. Fulham being the other obvious example.
It was then back to the station taking in Notts County on the way.
Notts County’s Meadow Lane Stadium
From there it was on to Manchester Piccadilly for Oldham. Strangely on a train that had started in Norwich. It was a walk to Piccadilly Gardens for the bus, but as ever the information was extremely useless. There was even a map of the stops, where a You Are Here sticker had been placed so that it obscured the stop I wanted.
Then I bumped into Peter, an Oldham season ticket holder, who escorted me to Oldham on an 81 bus. Or was it a 181? Certainly, the bus didn’t know, but eventually with some further help at Oldham Bus Station, I walked to Boundary Park.
Boundary Park in the Dark
As you can see it was now getting dark, so I made a hasty retreat, by means of two buses back to Manchester.
After supper in Carluccio’s, it was on the late train home to London. I actually travelled First Class, as it was only seven pounds more than Standard with a coffee and a banana thrown in. On the other hand it was about half an Off Peak Standard Class ticket. I know it’s all to do with demand, but certainly not many seem to want to travel First on Virgin after about 21:00.
92 Clubs – Day 25 – A Day Off
This was an enforced day off for two reasons.
I needed to have by three-monthly B12 injection for my coeliac disease. I also took the advantage of a free flu jab. I don’t want a dose of that to add to my problems do I?
My trusty Nokia 6310i also seemed to have packed up and I needed to get a replacement. However on looking at the new phones, I decided that they had no features I needed. And they cost a fortune!
So I took a train to the depths of Enfield Lock to see Tonik, the company behind the web site, nokia6310i.co.uk. All went well except for the fact that some wag had turned the signed round to the Innova Science Park, where they are based, and I ended up at a locked school instead.
A Mispointing Signpost in Enfield Lock
The Innova Science Park is actually in the direction of Brimsdown and the school is where the sign says the Science Park is.
I then left my wallet in their offices, which meant a return trip to retrieve it.
The Anonymous Widower 